by Laura Lebow
Many of the settings in the novel may be visited by a traveler to Vienna. Ludwig Dehne’s pastry shop continued in business on the Michaelerplatz until 1857, when the founder’s grandson sold it to his assistant, Christoph Demel, who changed the name of the shop to his own. In 1888, when the court theater was torn down, his sons moved the shop around the corner to the Kohlmarkt, where it remains today as a popular destination for tourists and locals.
The Belvedere palaces were built for Prince Eugene of Savoy, the great military hero of the war against the Turks in 1683. Empress Maria Theresa acquired the property from his heirs in 1752. In 1781, the palaces were used to house the Imperial Picture Gallery, which was open to the public, as were the expansive gardens. Both palaces remain art museums today; the upper palace contains the world’s largest collection of paintings by Gustav Klimt.
The Habsburg imperial crypt in the Capuchin Church on the Neuer Market has been expanded substantially since the eighteenth century. The crypt contains both beautiful and spooky examples of funerary art. Joseph II’s tomb there says more about his character than any biography—a simple casket resting at the foot of the grandiose monument his mother, Maria Theresa, had ordered designed for herself and her husband.
Historians are not certain where Da Ponte lived while writing Don Giovanni. It is likely that he resided within the city walls, as he did when working on The Marriage of Figaro. I moved him out to the suburbs.
Mozart and Constanze, on the other hand, did live in the cramped apartment on the Tuchlauben in the spring of 1788. On June 17, they moved out to the Alsergrund suburb, where they rented a large apartment with a garden. Mozart assumed the war would be brief, and looked forward to spending the summer writing in expectation of a larger role as court composer once the emperor returned. It was here that he wrote the first of his series of letters to his fellow lodge member Michael Puchberg, asking for a large loan to defray his expenses until his fortunes improved. It was also here that baby Theresa died on June 29.
Valentin von Gerl’s art collection contains several important eighteenth-century paintings, links to which can be seen at my Web site: www.lauralebowbooks.com. The watermark that plays such a large role in Da Ponte’s investigation comes from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1787. The document now resides at the Library of Congress. A link to it can also be found on my Web site, as can a list of sources I consulted while writing this book.
* * *
I am indebted to the following people for their guidance, encouragement, and support: my agent, John Talbot; Keith Kahla and Hannah Braaten at Minotaur Books; and Bill Lebow, my tireless champion and cheerleader.
ALSO BY LAURA LEBOW
The Figaro Murders
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LAURA LEBOW studied European history at Brandeis University and earned a master’s in city planning from MIT. After a career as an environmental policy analyst, she now writes historical mysteries full-time. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and an ever-expanding collection of opera CDs. The Figaro Murders was the first book in the Da Ponte mystery series. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Prologue
Part I: A Solemn Oath
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Part II: Women and Good Wine
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Part III: Masquerade
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Part IV: The Wrath of Heaven
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Also by Laura Lebow
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
SENT TO THE DEVIL. Copyright © 2016 by Laura Lebow. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover art © Mary Evans Picture Library / Imagno
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Lebow, Laura, author.
Title: Sent to the devil / Laura Lebow.
Description: First edition. | New York: Minotaur Books, 2016.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015045813 | ISBN 9781250053565 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781466856202 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Da Ponte, Lorenzo, 1749–1838—Fiction. | Librettists—Fiction. | Murder—Investigation—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Historical. | GSAFD: Biographical fiction. | Historical fiction. | Mystery fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3612.E28 S46 2016 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015045813
e-ISBN 9781455856202
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First Edition: April 2016
